How Does Antivirus Software Work?

If you want to stay safe online and to protect your system from threats, it's vital to install and use antivirus software. A lot of people have asked how an antivirus program works and what steps it takes to identify and stop malware before it has the chance to spread. Antivirus protection uses several methods to safeguard your system from dangerous programs, and taking the time to understand how it works is important.

Database

When a new virus is created and released into the wild, it will take some time for security experts to find it and collect a sample. After the process is complete, the code of the virus will be stored in a database. Once you have an anti-virus program installed on your system, it will scan every file that you download or open. Any files that have a signature that matches one from the database will get flagged for removal.

Behavior Analysis

In the past, comparing files to known virus signatures was the only way for an antivirus program to detect harmful software. Criminals did not take long to catch on to the process, and they would release new versions of a virus to prevent it from getting detected. In fact, some malware is designed to connect to an offshore server to look for updates. Behavior scans are now used to combat that problem and to provide users with a greater level of protection.

System Scan

A system scan involves individually checking every file on your computer for signs of virus activity. The software will alert you any time that it spots a threat, and it will provide you with a comprehensive report at the completion of the scan. In the report, you will see the number of threats that your anti-virus software has removed. In some cases, you will be given the option to delete, quarantine or restore the virus. You will only want to restore a program if you are sure that the detection was a mistake unless your goal is to put your system at risk.

Final Thoughts

With a combination of signature databases and behavioral analysis, your antivirus will scan your system and detect threats without giving them time to compromise your files. Although real-time protection will scan files as you download and run them, performing a system scan at least twice a week is something that you will want to consider.